Device for operating car couplers



June 15 1926.

C. D. BONSALL I DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR GOUPLERS Original Filed 0015. 24, 1924 Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, or NEW KENsINeroN, rnnNsYLvn-nm, Ass'Ieiioit To UNION METAL PRODUCTS oo-MrANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A coitroitit'r DELAWARE.

Original application filed October 24,

This particular invention relates to w'hat ally bent downwardly at the outer end to form a handle, and is bent outwardly at its inner end tov form a crank, projecting over the coupler, which crank is provided with a horizontally positioned eye with its axis perpendicular to the longitudinal center of the car. The standard vertical plane coupler has a knuckle pivoted to the coupler head and provided with a tailbehind which the lock is placed. The lock lifter protrudes through andabove the coupler head and is provided with a horizontally pos itionedeye. This lock lifter eye is 11 g in diameter and its axis is perpendicular tothelongitudinal center of the car. This size and position has been determinedby the American Railroad.

Association and is standard for the majority of couplers now in service. z 7 I U 7 My invention resides in the connection between the eye on the crank of the operating rod and theceye on the coupler lock lifter.

When the handle is raised the rod is revolved and the crank is thereby raised which un-v locks the coupler by raising the lock lifter.

The coupler moves backwardly and forwardly longitudinally of the car in buiiing and draft and also moves sidewise in roundi'ng curves, etc., and the connection between the coupler and the operating rod must permit such movements without the component parts becoming disengaged from each other or from either the coupler or the operating rod. It is frequently necessary to uncouple cars when they are coupled together and in contact so that it is impossible to throw the knuckle of either coupler. Tomeet this condition couplers are designed toassume a lock set'position .w'he rein' the lock lifter can be raised from behind the tail of the knuckle and retained in such a position by means within the head of the coupler independent'of the operating rodf This allows the operating rod to fall close to the lock lifter. To accommodate such a movement the connection between the operating rod crank and the coupler inust fore-shorten,

DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS.

1924, Serial No. 745,635. Divided and.- this application fild April 13, .1925; Serial No. 22,667. Y 7

which is accomplished by making it of sev-.

Veral parts which collapse by means of. a

hinge joint or a sliding connection to each other, or, as in my design, the component parts are p1vota llyand slidably connected.

The operating rod, asabove described, is old and in use on hundreds of thousands of cars now in existence. Such rods had a short chain connectingthe crank arm to the lock lifter of the coupler which chains proved unsatisfactory and were responsible for a little more than half of thedefects" for uncoupling mechanisms reported"; by the Interstate Commerce Commission. These chains were defective because" they were broken, missing, kinked and either too longor too short. e p 7 One of the objects of this invention is to provide a connection betweenthe rod and the coupler which will eliminate the defects of the old chain'and meet all service conditions required. I V V 7 These short chains were broken by fallin behind the coupler horn. and being smashedbetween the coupler horn and thestriking casting by impact of the cars in coupling. The device is designed so that :the compo nent parts cannot become disconnected from each other or from the operating rod or the coupler.

the operating rod and the coupler are such that the device cannot become kinked..

Formerly when a brakemanwanteda small chain to repa r one of the old connections he simply guessed as to the amount of chain required and applied .it to the car, which accounts for the number of .too long and too short chains reported by the commission. This is not possible with my device. I

The connection between the com-- ponent parts and also their connections tow Another object is to provide a connection car.

may alter its length to accommodate service vchangeable. Duplication, of course, also simplifies manufacture, handling, accountlng, etc. V V

Another ob ect is to obtain a device ''wherein the component parts are duplicates so that they cannot be wrongfully applied to the car or to each other. I

In the drawings:

Fig. l'is a perspective view of a portion of a car with my invention applied thereon. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the connector. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a pair of members per Figs. 2 and 3 in open position.

Fig. 5 shows the connector in extended position.

Fig. 6 is the connecting pin.

Fig. 7 is an'end view of Fig. 6. In a railway car the operating rod 1 is mounted on the end sill 2 by brackets 3. The usual operating rod has a handle 4 and a crank arm 5 which arm has a horizontally disposed eye 6. The lock lifter 7 of the coupler 8 also has a horizontally disposed eye 9 and my invention resides in a connectorlfor these two mentioned eyes.

The device comprises two pairs of complementary hooked and'prelerably duplicate members. The members of each pair are shaped to be positionedopposite/each other to form a closed eye. 7

The two upper members 40-41 are hooked into the eye 6 or" the crank arm 5, as shown in Fig. 4, and moved opposite each other to form a closed eye. The two lower members are similarly hooked into the eye 9 of the locklifter 7 and moved opposite each other to form a closed eye.

' The shank 42 of the pin 43 which engages the slots 45 in all four members is rectangular, preferably elongated, so as to prevent any pivotal action of the members thereby retaining all of them inlthe position forming a closed eye. The pin 42 with its nut 44 secures the component parts of the connector together and holds the pin in place. In other words, the single pin retains the component parts together and also holds the device in operative position on the Figs. 2 and 5 show how the connector conditional All four component parts are preferably identical.

This is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 745,635, filed October 24, 1924.

I claim:

1. A connector for a railway car coupler and'its operating rod, comprising a plurality of members, each having a hook at one end and a hole at its opposite end, said hooks positioned complementarily to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin non-rotatively engaging all of said holes so as to retain-said members in the position forming the said closed eyes, and means to hold said-pin in place.

2. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising a plurality of members, each having a hook at one end and an elongated hole at its opposite end, said hooks positioned complementarily to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin non-rotatively engaging all of said holes so as to retain said members in the position formi'ngthe said closed eyes, and meansto hold said pin in place.

3. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising. a plural:

ity of duplicate members, each having a hook at one end and an elongated hole at at its opposite end, said hooks positioned,

'complementarily to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the COI1Il6Cl30l,'L pin non rotatively engaging all of said holes so as to retain said members in the position forming a closed eye, and means to hold said pin in place.

4. A connectorior a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprisingfour mem bers arranged to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means nonpivotally securing said pairs'of complementary members together and connecting the members or" each pair together.

5. A. connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four identical members arranged to form two pairs of complementary. members, .each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, anda single means non-plvotally securing SELld.

pairs of complementary members together.

6. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four members arranged to form two pairs ofcomplementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means non-pivotally but slidably securing said pairs of complementary members together and connecting the members of each pair together. r

7. A connector for 'a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four identical members arranged to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means non-pivotally but slidably securing said pairs of complementary members together.

8. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four members arranged to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means non-pivotally securing said pairs of complementary members together, said means also retaining said members in the position forming said closed eyes.

9. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four identical members arranged to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means non-pivotally securing said pairs of complementary members together, said means also retaining said members in the position forming said'closed eyes.

10. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four members arranged to form two pairs of complemen'tary members, each pair of complementary members positioned opposite each other to form a closed eye, and a single means non-pivotally but slidably securing said pairs of complementary members together, said means also retaining said membars in the position forming said closed eyes. 7

11. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod, comprising four identical members arranged to form two pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary members positioned op- -p0site each other to form a closed eye, and

a single means non-pivotally but slidably securing said, pairs of complementary mem-' bers together, said means also retaining said members in the position forming said closed eyes.

12. In a railway car, the combination of an operating rod mounted upon the car having a horizontally disposed eye, a coup ler with a lock lifter having a horizontally disposed eye, and a connector therefor comprising a plurality of members, each having a hook at one end and a hole at its opposite end, said hooks positioned complementarily to form closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, a pin non-rotatively engaging all of said holes so as to retain said members in the position forming the said closed eyes, said closed eyes forming engagements to the look lifter eye and operating rod eye, respectively.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

